Wednesday, October 25, 2000
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Wednesday, October 25, 2000 |
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Liquor vote in F'ville drawing scant attention By MONROE ROARK
As the days count down to a Fayetteville referendum on liquor sales in the city, the issue itself seems to be getting less attention than where it will be decided. Whereas past votes have stirred anti-alcohol sentiments among churches and other civic leaders, the big news this time is the fact that voters will have to make two trips if they want to vote in the General Election as well as this one, both of which are Nov. 7. The liquor referendum must by state law be conducted at the city's official polling place, which is the Depot on East Lanier Avenue. That location does not serve as a general county voting location for any precinct. City Manager Joe Morton said that there are a few county polling places within the city limits, but it would take a great deal of red tape to move the location of the liquor vote to one of those locations. One local resident who is against the measure has notified a number of people of the location of the vote because she believes a lot of residents do not know. Patricia Walston, who lives in Fayette County but not in Fayetteville, was injured many years ago by a drunk driver and is vehemently opposed to liquor sales in Fayetteville, saying it will have a detrimental impact on quality of life. She says this vote will greatly affect the entire county, even though only Fayetteville citizens can participate. In addition to sending a letter to the editor of The Citizen, she faxed a letter last week to 25 churches, mainly to make sure everyone knows they will have to come to the Depot to vote, a fact of which she believes many citizens are unaware. "One woman I talked to said she thought she had to go to Home Depot [at Fayette Pavilion] to vote," said Walston. So far there has been very little public reaction since the City Council officially called for the vote Oct. 2. Walston's letter is only the second one received by The Citizen stating opposition to the measure, which if passed would allow liquor to be sold by the drink in Fayetteville restaurants but not by the bottle in package stores. Local Realtor Lane Brown spent the past two years working on the necessary petition that would require the city to bring the issue up for a vote. State law requires placing it on the ballot upon presentation of a petition with 35 percent of the city's registered voters calling for it. Brown ended up with 1,772 qualified signatures on the petition he presented to the city last month, and they were verified by the county's election office. Once the city made the call for an election, Morton said, it was required to place advertisements in the city's legal organ, including one advertisement in the two weeks immediately the election. But he acknowledged that news of the special vote could still elude some residents, despite the city's best efforts. County officials have said they'll put up signs at the regular polling places letting city residents know about the special election at The Depot, according to Morton, and that should help the turnout. Recent news of what should be a strong overall turnout for the presidential election could also help. When a citizen presents a petition like Brown did, however, he or she has to do so only a month before election day to be able to be included on the ballot, and when the time required to verify the petition is factored in, such a small time frame can work against the city and anyone else trying to just get the word out that a vote is taking place, Morton added. Brown said Tuesday that he has not heard much in the way of opposition, and he thinks a lot of people still need to be informed about the vote itself, along with some of the issues related to it. He sent letters to each person who signed the petition, thanking them and letting them know the details concerning the voting location. "I've encouraged folks to use the absentee ballot if they need to," he said. Brown also is trying to let voters know that he doesn't feel this measure will lead to an onslaught of bars and seedy places like some say will happen. "The city already has an ordinance with beer and wine sales to guard against that," he said. "They'll do the same with liquor if it passes." Brown said that a city ordinance currently requires every establishment selling beer and wine to bring in at least 50 percent of its revenue from food sales and be large enough to seat at least 40 people. Brown worked to get the last liquor referendum, in 1995, to pass, but it lost by 26 votes, he said. He asked for a recount and even filed suit in Superior Court to get one, but state law does not require a recount on a referendum item, even if the difference is only one vote, he said.
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